February 20, 2014
Philip Seymour Hoffman, a great actor who died earlier this year had his estate distributed and as expected he left everything to his partner and his three children. One condition he requested was that his children be raised in one of three specific cities in the United States. His three choices were New York, Chicago or San Francisco. He felt his children would be surrounded by art, literature and culture if raised in these areas. It got me thinking about where I would want to live if I could have three homes anywhere in the world. I asked Paul where he would want to live and his answer was quick and precise. He would want a home in Toronto because this has been his home for over 25 years. He chose San Miguel in the Azores because his family is still there and his third selection was anywhere in the Caribbean. He didn’t even care which island as long as it was hot and had a lot of sandy beaches.
I admire Paul’s quick response because my three choices took a little longer to arrive at. Number one for me was New York because of the immense amount of restaurants, food trucks and outdoor food stands to choose from. New York is the cutting edge for new food trends and I would love to be a part of that. My second choice was Victoria British Colombia because of the incredible views, great weather and the high standard of living. Average winter highs in Victoria are 8 degrees, pretty good compared to the rest of the country. I would still be living in Canada which to me will always be the greatest country. My third choice was anywhere in Australia. This continent was ranked 2nd in the world in average wealth, with a high GDP and low poverty. It has a fantastic school system with adult literacy ranked at 99%. It has the 4th highest life expectancy with a strong health care system. It is surrounded by the Pacific and the Indian Oceans, has the Great Barrier Reef, rainforests and mountains. The weather is fantastic and beaches lie everywhere. Not to mention they make some incredible wine.
I doubt that I will ever be able to have three homes anywhere in the world, but it is fun to think about. Take a few minutes and think about what places you would want to live in and picture yourself on a beach, or maybe a double decker bus in London or the Eiffel Tower in France. Maybe one day one of them will happen for you.
Now I have to think about what three albums I would want if I were on a deserted island. That’s going to be a lot harder.
Cheers
Grace
Owner/operator
TASTE
Tasting Life 